Burial-casket.



No. 727,277. PATENTED MAY 5, 1903.

J. P. BRADY.

BURIAL CASKET.

. APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 28, 1903.

no MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Jnventr.

vuq /m,

vqtwrne ys Patented May 5, 1903.

-ATFNT JOHN P. BRADY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

BURlAL-CASKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,277, dated May 5,1903.

Application filed February 28, 1903. Serial No. 145,500. (No model.)

Gaskets, of which the following is a speoification.

This invention relates to improvements in burial-caskets; audits objectis to provide an improved construction of casket, whereby the same maybe reduced in size and arranged or adjusted compactly for convenience instoring and transportation and whereby the casket may be extended whendesired for the reception of a corpse, the adjustable features in nowise detracting from the stability and serviceability of the casket andpermitting the same to be hermetically sealed.

The invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements, andcombinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed,-

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa side elevation of the improved burial-casket in its extended conditionready for service. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof with the lidremoved. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on an enlarged'scaleand showing only one side or a portion of thecasket in its extendedcondition with the lid secured thereon. Fig. 4 is a similar view thereofin its reduced or collapsed condition andwith the lid inverted and laidtherein, the casket being thus in condition for storage ortransportation. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating aslight modification.

My improved burial-casket is preferably composed of sheet metal suitablystamped into proper shape, and the bodyportion thereof is constructedinvertically-telescopingsec-' tions, in this instance two in numbernamely,a lower or bottom section A and an upper or top section B. The entireupper edge of the lower section A is, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4:,extended outwardly in a hori- Zontal plane, thence doubles or returnsupon itself and extends inwardly beyond the side Wall of the saidsection, and finally extends downwardly and toward said wall, to whichit is secured by solder or the like. The arran gement thus describedprovides the lower sectionA at its upper edge with an outwardlyextendingflange a of double thickness of metal and of a neat finish andpossessing rigidity, and to still further produce rigidity in saidflange a stiffening-strip a is interposed between the two thicknesses ofthe same, said strip extending around the entire upper margin of thesaid lower section A. In the present instance the flange a. is shown asan integral part of the said lower section and formed by bending themetal of the latter; but it is manifest that said flange maybe a partformed separately from the lower section and subsequently securedthereto in anysuitable manner. The lower section A isprovided on itsinterior with stiffening cleats or battens a a extending transverselyand longitudinally on its bottom, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and alsoextending upwardly along its side walls, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and4.

The upper or top section B of the body portion of the casket isbottomless and is provided at its lower edge with an inwardly andupwardly turned fiangeb, which receives a stiffening-band b and whichtakes under the outwardly-extending flange aof the lower section A, sothat the upper section may be raised and lowered in a telescoping manneron the lower section. The said upper section Bis curved outwardly at itsupper portion and is provided with a hollow upper rim b formed in thisinstance by bending the metal sharply upward-from the upper end of thecurve, then'turning it inwardly and finally turning it downwardly, itbeing then secured by solder or the like to the side wall of the uppersection, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, and at intervals around themargin of the upper section A and within the hollow rim b nuts d aresecured in any suitable manner, preferably by solder, the purpose ofsaid nuts being presently described.

A plurality of vertioalstay-bolts e are rigidly secured at their lowerthreaded ends 6 in the inturned flange b of the upper section B, andsaid threaded ends pass firmly through the outturned flange a of thelower section, the upper ends of said stay-bolts being received and heldin a hollow headf, secured to the inner wall of the section B at theupper edge thereof, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. A nut g, of whichthere is one for each stay-bolt, is inserted on said stay-bolt above 5tion B, whereby to securely fasten the lid to the outturned flange a ofthe upper section A, so that said nut may be screwed down on the saidflange when the upper section is raised, as shown in Fig. 3, to tightlybind the two flanges a and I) together and hold the two sectionsfirmlyin extended ordrawn-outposition. A gasket j, of any suitablematerial, in this instance rubber, may be interposed between the saidtwo flanges to hermetically seal the joint. Then to collapse the casketthe nuts g are unscrewed from the threaded ports of the staybolts, whichwill permit the upper section to drop to the position illustrated inFig. 4.

The lid 0 of the casket is also preferably formed of sheet metal and isprovided with a hollow rim 0, which in this instance is formed integraltherewith by bending the metal, as is obvious from the drawings. Thesaid rim contains a plurality of bushings or thimbles c, which registerwith openings through the said rim, and binding-screws 71 pass throughsaid openings and thimbles and when the lid is resting in uprightposition on the body of the casket engage the nuts d, that are containedin the hollow rim 1) of the upper seethe casket-body. A gasket orpacking iof any suitable material, in this instance rubber, isinterposed between the rims of the lid and body of the casket, wherebyto produce a hermetically sealed joint therebetween. The lid 0 is ofsuch shape that when inverted it will lie, with the exception of itsrim, wholly within the body of the casket, as illustrated in Fig. 4,thereby taking up comparatively no room in storage or when packed fortransportation.

The rod-handles Z, by which the casket may be carried, are pivotallysecured by hangers Z to plates m, attached to the upper section of thecasket-body, and which plates may manifestly be more or less ornamentalin character. The said plates may in my invention be made to serve afunction in addition to merelysupporting the rod-handle or independenthandles-namely, they may. be provided with means for fastening orholding the sections of the casket-body in extended position, asillustrated in Fig. 5. As shown in said figure, the two sections A B aresubstantially like the sections A B, (illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4,)only difiering therefrom in respect to the angle of the meeting flangesn and 0, which lie in an oblique plane, so that the outturned flange nof the lower section A will present an inclined upper face towedgescrews 19, working through the said plates m and the side wall ofthe upper section and preferably countersunk. By this means the saidwedge-screws may bear on the inclined upper face of the outturned flangen and securely hold the sections in extended position. If desired, thesewedge-screws may be alone used to fasten the sections in extendedposition or they may be used in connection with or addition tostay-bolts e, before described,except that they are shorter,as shown.

It is to be understood that various changes may be made in the detailsof construction and arrangement of the parts herein shown and describedwithout departing from the scope of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

Having thus fully described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A burial-casket, constructed in vertically-telescoping sectionsprovided with meeting flanges; and means for securing said flangestogether whereby to hold said sections in extended position.

2. A burial-casket, whose body comprises a lower section provided at itsupper edge with an outturned flange; an upper section provided at itslower edge with an inturned flange taking under said outturned flange;and bolts arranged to secure said flanges together whereby to hold saidsections in extended position.

3. A burial-casket, provided witha metallic body portion comprising alower section provided at its upper edge with an outturned flange of adouble thickness of metal and having a stiffening-strip between said twothicknesses; an upper section provided at its lower edge with aninturned flange having a stifiening-band therein, said inturned flangetaking under said outturned flange; and means for securing said flangestogether as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A burial-casket, constructed in vertically-telescoping sectionsprovided with meeting flanges; a gasket between said two flanges forhermetically sealing the joint therebetween; and means for securing saidflanges together, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. Aburial-casket,comprisingasheet-metal body portion constructed invertically-telescoping sections, the uppermost one of which is providedwith a hollow rim; nuts secured in said rim; a lid provided with a rimadapted to rest -on the body-rim; binding-screws adapted to pass throughsaid lid-rim and engage with said nuts; and means for holding saidsections in extended position.

6. A burial-casket, whose body comprises a lower section provided at itsupper edge with an oblique flange; an upper section provided at itslower edge with a flange taking under said oblique flange andwedge-bolts secured to said upper section and adapted to bear upon theupper surface of said oblique flange, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN P. BRADY.

Witnesses:.

CHARLES B. MANN, J r., H. F. MEYER, Jr.

